Health Policy Update Episodes

Sept. 27, 2023

512: Court Cases Impacting Public Health, Helping PH Managers

Christina Severin, ASTHO’s Director of Public Health Law, outlines upcoming Supreme Court cases that will impact public health; Susan Donnelly, Workforce Director at the Oklahoma State Department of Health, shares the work h…
July 24, 2023

466: New Workforce Recommendations, Community Health Worker Policy Discussion

Omar Khalid, ASTHO’s Director of Workforce, explains new strategies for enhancing workforce well-being and retention; Brianna Gorman, ASTHO’s Clinical to Community Connections team member, says community health workers are a…
July 12, 2023

458: Indiana Invests in Local PH,  Youth Mental Health Webinar

Pam Pontones, Deputy Health Commissioner of Local Public Health Services for the Indiana State Department of Health, shares Indiana’s plan to invest in local health departments to address community health needs; Ioana Ungure…
June 26, 2023

448: Vital Records Accreditation Matters, Therapeutic Psilocybin Programs Gain Traction

Mariah Pokorny, Director of Accreditation & Reporting for the South Dakota Department Of Health, explains the importance of vital records and health statistics accreditation; Chantell Reed, Interim Deputy Director Of Operati…
June 12, 2023

439: Congenital Syphilis Strategies, Medicaid Demonstration Projects

JoAnne McClure, ASTHO Senior Analyst for State Health Policy, details a new report written to help public health leaders address rising rates of congenital syphilis; Alex Kearly, ASTHO’s Director of Medicaid and Value-Based …
June 5, 2023

434: Mpox Concerns, Newborn Screening Policies

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, Deputy Coordinator of the Mpox National Response for the White House, shares steps public health leaders can take to protect against a potential rise in Mpox cases; Christina Severin, Director of Publ…
May 23, 2023

426: Medicaid for Post-Partum People, Women’s Health Policy Statement

Sowmya Kuruganti, ASTHO Public Health Analyst, explains how Medicaid expansion could increase access to care for postpartum people; Sanaa Akbarali, ASTHO Senior Director of Maternal and Infant Health, says a renewed ASTHO po…
May 8, 2023

415: Burnout Advice, Policy Wins

Jennifer Moss, author of The Burnout Epidemic, says self-care alone is not a solution to employee fatigue; Moss will speak at ASTHO’s TechXpo and Futures Forum later this month, where online tickets remain available; Maggie …
May 1, 2023

410: Early Legislative Actions, Implement Data Systems Now

Maggie Davis, ASTHO Director of State Health Policy, discusses policies that have been considered or approved across the country since January;  Dr. Gabriel Seidman, Director of Policy at the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute fo…
April 27, 2023

408: Childhood Toxic Stress, Encouraging Exercise

Dr. Nathaniel Harnett, Assistant Professor at The Harvard Medical School, discusses findings from his study connecting early childhood stress to mental health problems; Dr. Alison Cuellar, Chair of the Community Preventive S…
March 27, 2023

385: ASTHO Budget Pitch, Workforce Policy Approaches

Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO President and Alaska Chief Medical Officer, testifies before a House appropriations subcommittee in Washington D.C. seeking sustainable and flexible public health funding; Maggie Davis, ASTHO’s Director …
March 20, 2023

380: Immunization Exemption Strategies, Island Area Funding Pitch

Heather Tomlinson, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Immunizations, reminds us in an ASTHO blog article that there are strategies to reduce the impact of non-medical immunization exemptions; the CDC has added COVID-19 vaccinations to…
March 6, 2023

370: ASTHO Leaders Convene, Flavored Tobacco Legislation

Amber Williams, ASTHO Senior Vice President for Leadership & Organizational Performance, says ASTHO members have a busy schedule of meetings with Biden Administration and Congressional officials in Washington, D.C. this week…
Feb. 27, 2023

365: “Unacceptable” Maternal Mortality Rates, Mounting a Vaccination Defense

Dr. Daniel Edney, State Health Officer for the Mississippi State Department of Health, has studied the data in Mississippi’s latest Maternal Mortality Report and says the rates are unacceptable; Heather Tomlinson, ASTHO Seni…
Feb. 21, 2023

361: RSV Immunization Considered, Making CPR and AEDs More Common

Dr. Christopher Rizzo, Senior U.S. Medical Director for Sanofi, is working on a passive immunization for RSV that could help protect young infants from the virus; Lana McKinney, ASTHO Senior Policy Analyst for State Health P…